Some Healthy Competition
by angel-unknown
Summary: Upon moving to Forks, Olivia meets her sometimes-snobbish-partner-rival-maybe-friend, Jasper Hale. All it takes is a war over the first-chair violin spot and a baseball landing in a pot of soup to push them over the edge... JasperxOC
1. Fraud and Lack of Sleep

Olivia Harrison was tired of Seattle. The city was wearing on her, after a year. The problem was that any city would be the same. That's why she'd decided to pack her trusty duffel and move to Forks. RJ and Monet were there to help her settle in, of course. They were the best sort-of-kind-of-adoptive-for-pretend parents a girl could ask for.

The three sat in plastic chairs outside the office at Forks High School (home of the Spartans). RJ had spent two hours that morning preparing everyone for their "roles". He'd slicked his mohawk back into some kind of demented comb over and had put a jacket, scarf, and gloves on to –sort of- cover up all the tattoos. He'd even gotten Monet to wear a hat to cover up the pink streaks in her braids. He looked ridiculous, but he was trying hard to look reputable. They were posing as Olivia's parents for the day, in order to get her into high school. They'd even gotten Jack, a computer whiz and forgery genius back at the squat, to make her some (seemingly) real papers. They made a convincing, if unorthodox, family.

"Olivia?" A sweet-looking, older woman poked her head out of the doorway. "We'll see you now."

The trio made their way to the desk and sat down, again. At least this time the chairs were marginally comfortable. Upon sitting down, Olivia realized how much was at stake. If the papers didn't come through, or if any of them slipped up, she would get sent back into the foster care system and RJ and Monet could get charged for fraud.

But then again, what did she have to worry about? Monet wasn't planning on talking much, and RJ had been the drama teacher at a high school in Seattle before a series of budget cuts got him axed. "The arts are always the first to go," he often lamented. Olivia herself wasn't a half bad liar. Anyway, this didn't seem like the kind of place for people to be terribly suspicious. Wary, maybe, of brightly-colored outsiders (Olivia had begun to dye her hair a brilliant orange four months before), but not enough to really matter. This high school also seemed like a good place to boost her business. People here looked like they could use a fresh, new internet music sensation like Carmella Dancing. But that could wait, of course.

"Olivia, honey, she asked you a question," RJ said, perhaps a mite exasperated.

"Oh, what? Sorry! Didn't catch that at all… I'm so spacey! Oops…hehe," Olivia, now out of her reverie, briefly imagined herself with a big, shiny anime sweat drop next to her head.

"I said that the last things to get in order are your electives," said the office-lady. "I wanted to know if you had any particular interests."

"Oh, right! Um… do you offer a film class?"

"There is a Literature and Film class with a spot open…"

"I'll take it!"

"And your second?"

"I get two? Sick! Um… orchestra. Is there room for another violin?"

"Of course… a moment please. So you're good on the violin, eh?"

RJ put a hand on Olivia's shoulder. "You bet she is. Our little prodigy!"

The woman smiled. "Here's your schedule… you'll start on Monday." She waved a sheet of paper back and forth to dry the ink before handing it to Olivia.

As they walked out, Olivia glanced at a clock on the wall. They'd been sitting there for two and a half hours. Wow, she had _really _spaced out.

"You'll have to visit every weekend you can, promise?" said Monet.

"Yes, Mommy-dearest," Olivia replied.

"And be careful in the woods, with the wild animals and whatnot," said RJ.

"Honestly, I'm more worried about rapists than bears-"

"Don't even remind me…" RJ moaned.

"I'm pretty covered, you know. I've got mace, a pocket knife, and a knack for scaling trees. I think I'll be okay. Besides, who goes out into the middle of no where looking for high-school girls? I won't even be on a designated campground. No one will know where I am, thanks."

"I'm just worried about you, you know. We really have come to think of you as family," said RJ.

"It's mutual, guys. Really. I just want a shot at a future, you know?" said Olivia.

"Which is the only reason we're letting you do this," said Monet.

The following Sunday found Olivia shoving the last of her belongings into her duffel. She would carry her violin case separately, to avoid squishing it. She'd worked too hard for that violin (no matter how cheap it was) to let it get messed up right before she actually got to join an orchestra.

An hour later, she was hugging everyone goodbye at the bus station. Goodbye, RJ. Goodbye, Monet. Goodbye, Jack, Mel, Manuel, and Dave. Jack, who had provided everyone with a squat to live in and Olivia with the papers she needed for school and the computer software she needed to run Carmella Dancing. Mel, who had taught her how to climb trees like a monkey in the local park. Manuel, who had instructed her in Spanish so that she wouldn't be too far behind in Spanish 4. Dave, who had introduced her to the wonderful world of raves. Goodbye, Seattle.

Hello, Forks.

Monday morning rolled around, and all Olivia wanted was to roll back into her sleeping bag. But she was at school, and that would be beyond even her boundaries of weird. Besides, the sleeping bag was back at the campsite she'd stayed up until past midnight to set up. Her hair was still damp from the shower she'd taken in the gym (she'd arrived at around four-thirty to sneak it in), but it was raining, so thankfully damp hair wasn't particularly out of the ordinary.

She pulled her hoodie tighter around her to keep out the chill of the hallway and put her head against her locker, hoping it might help her exhausted state. It didn't. She nearly fell asleep standing up when someone came up behind her.

"Hey! Are you new here? Wait, of course you are… I mean look at you! Sorry, that came out wrong… I'm Eric." The boy held out a hand, which Olivia took.

"Olivia. Olivia Harrison."

"Cool! Where are you from?" he asked.

"Seattle."

"Oh, that's not so bad compared to this other girl, Bella. She came here two weeks ago, from Arizona. She's definitely having a hard time adjusting to the climate."

"I can imagine," Olivia replied. "Say, can I eat lunch with you today? I don't know anybody and I've decided that you shall be my new friend. If that's okay with you, of course."

"What? Yeah! Yeah, great!" He looked thrilled.

"Sweet. So, can you tell me where…." she glanced at her schedule, "Mrs. Acosta's class is?"

"Oh yeah. That's actually right there," he said, pointing to the room directly across the hall. "I don't have her, but I've heard she's fun. But a real downer with homework. A little project-happy, you know? At least, that's what I've heard."

"Great, thanks. See you at lunch, then!"

"Yeah! Bye!"

Olivia walked over to the classroom, trying to ignore the stares of the other, more established students. Mrs. Acosta noticed her right away. "Olivia Harrison?"

Olivia wondered how often she was going to hear her whole name repeated like that that day. "Yep," she said.

"You can stand here until everyone gets in, then we'll introduce you and find you a seat, okay?"

"Sure."

Olivia watched as her new classmates filed in, chatting away, lost in their social bubbles. They all seemed perfectly normal, except for one guy. He was either in pain or he was a snob, it was hard to tell which. He talked to no one, keeping his pale, lanky self at a good distance from everyone else.

Mrs. Acosta clapped loudly, instantly silencing the class. "Well, students," she began, "we have another new student, as I'm sure you've all heard by now. So we're going to play the name game, but with a twist. So state your first and last name, an adjective describing you that begins with the same letter as your first name, and here's the twist: Tell us a book character that you feel you can most relate to. And, for the heck of it, throw in what kind of car you would be if you were an automobile."

Some of the class groaned, others giggled.

"I'm… Neat-o Nae Won… and I'd be… well I like Hermione Granger. If I was a car, I'd be a…"

"A SmartCar!" yelled someone in the back. "Everyone knows you're the school's resident genius, Nae!"

The rest of the class murmured in agreement. Nae gave in. "A SmartCar," she affirmed.

"I'm Kooky Kevin…"

"I'm Delicious Dylan Roberts…"

"And I'm most like Eragon…"

"Elizabeth Bennet…"

"I'm a blue mustang."

"And I'm a black hummer."

It was the possible-snob's turn. He seemed reluctant. "I'm jazzy Jasper Hale, I'm most like Paul Baumer of All Quiet on the Western Front, and I'd be a gray Mazarati."

Oh, he was _definitely _a snob.

Olivia's turn. "Hello, everyone. I am orange-" she tugged on her hair pointedly, "Olivia Harrison. I am most like Alice in Wonderland and if I were a car I would not be a car at all. I'd be a Kawasaki Ninja. So I'd beast you all in speed. Even you, Mister Mazarati."

Everyone giggled for a moment.

"Alright then, Orange Olivia, let's find you a seat," said Mrs. Acosta. "Rooms are crowded this year, we might have to bring in a new desk- wait! There you go, right next to Jasper over there. You're a bit behind in the Great Gatsby, but if you read a bit extra over the course of the week, you should be fine. If not, talk to me, okay?"

Olivia nodded and made her way back to the empty seat.

**12/10: I'm really, really sorry to all of you. I've been, let me REPEAT, selfish and amateur, and I'm not going to let it happen again. The update/review policy is officially revoked. It was stupid. I don't deserve your time. If you really like Criminal Minds, you'll get off my worthless, shitty writing and go read someone like Cassieoeia823 or CatherineJosephineMarie007. Or if you like Jasper, you'll read chuffed-git, or if you like Harry Potter you'll read lostmidtranslation. They're all better than me and much more worth your time. I don't even follow up on real life promises, let alone the stuff I promise to people on here. Disgruntled Reader, whoever you are, thank you for disenchanting me as to my worth as a writer. I needed the reality check.**


	2. The Duel

"Alright then, Orange Olivia, let's find you a seat," said Mrs. Acosta. "Rooms are crowded this year, we might have to bring in a new desk- wait! There you go, right next to Jasper over there. You're a bit behind in the Great Gatsby, but if you read a bit extra over the course of the week, you should be fine. If not, talk to me, okay?"

Olivia nodded and made her way back to the empty seat. "Hi, Jazzy Jasper," she said, trying to start a conversation.

Silence.

"Hello? You awake? Anybody home? Mister Mazarati?"

"Hi."

Olivia just stared at him for a short moment. This guy was _beyond _normal snobbery. He was just an antisocial asshole, she decided. With this thought, Olivia turned to the front and focused on the rest of the English class.

When the bell rang at the end of the period, Jasper leapt up out of his seat and practically ran out of the classroom. Olivia tried not to let this annoy her. She picked up her bag and pulled out her schedule. "Pre-Cal next. Okay, this should be fun." Olivia had a habit of being sarcastic, even to herself.

Olivia hated math. That's all there was to it. Numbers, numbers, numbers. That's all it was. She didn't need to know this; she'd gotten along just fine without complicated number sequences and formulas. She didn't want to be an engineer, or, God forbid, a mathematician, so all of this was completely irrelevant to her future. The period passed in a blur.

Lunch was next, which came with a bit more fun. Olivia followed the moving mass of students to the cafeteria, where she was instantly greeted by a very enthusiastic Eric, who introduced her to everyone at his table. She'd never met anyone so standoffish. Olivia instantly like Angela, who looked like she didn't have to _try_ to be nice, she just was. All through the half-hour lunch period, she tried to ignore Jasper sitting with his (as Eric explained) family on the far side of the room. But lunch was too soon over, and Olivia was yet again off to class.

She found room 218 quickly. "Is this Lit and Film?" she asked a teacher.

"Yes, it is. Are you Olivia?" the teacher asked.

"Yeah. Hi." Talking to teachers was turning out to be somewhat awkward.

"Hello, dear. You're in the right place, so don't worry. You came at the perfect time, you know. We're beginning to the movie Fellowship of the Ring today. Have you read the book?"

"Yes, I have."

"Good, you'll be fine then. Take a seat, it doesn't matter which."

Despite the awkward entrance, Olivia already liked this class. All she had to do that period was watch the movie.

But, like lunch, the period was soon over. Last class of the day: Orchestra.

The room wasn't hard to find, all she had to do was follow the sounds of strings being warmed up. Olivia arrived at the classroom just as the bell rang.

"Olivia Harrison?" asked the teacher.

"Yep…" She was getting sick of her own name.

"Hi, I'm Mr. Engle. I don't know what it was like at your old school, but here we have chairs. You know what that is?"

"Um…" Chairs… well of course they had chairs; everyone was sitting down in one. But surely he meant something else?

"Like places. First cello, on the seat closest to the end of the row, is the best; second the second best and so on?"

"Right. Those kind of chairs."

"You'll need to audition for a seat, okay? Do you want to do that today, or do you want to wait?"

"Today works," Olivia said. She looked across at the arc of players. The violins were right in front and the first violin was… oh crap. Jazzy Jasper was first violin? And what the hell was he playing? In his hands was perhaps the most expensive violin Olivia had ever seen. Of course he would sound the best, with that kind of hardware.

"I'll give you a few minutes to warm up the hall. Do you have something to play, some kind of solo?"

"Yes, sir, I do!"

"Great. You can just step outside for a moment to play scales or whatever and prepare yourself. Sound good?"

"Mm-hm. Thank you."

Olivia walked out. She stood in the hallway, wondering what to play. Her mind flipped through concertos, solos and etudes, trying to pick something to play. After she picked a solo, she played scales to warm up for the remainder of her time in the hallway.

Mr. Engle called her back in and had her begin with a few scales. She zipped through each one perfectly. "Alright," he said. "What are you playing?"

"Mozart's Turkish March."

He looked at her, perhaps wondering if she was serious, then motioned for her to begin.

Olivia put the violin on her shoulder, the bow to the string, and closed her eyes.

As she played, she saw the colors flashing underneath her eyelids. She felt each note in her chest. She let the sound guide itself. She was the instrument to something higher than herself. And the music flowed.

She didn't miss a note.

When she was finished, she opened her eyes and looked around. Everyone was staring at Jasper, including Mr. Engle. Jasper just stared stonily at his music stand.

"Um…" Mr. Engle said. "That was good… very good. From memory… wow. That was fantastic. I- hm. Olivia, do you have anything else to play?"

"Yes, sir! Now? Okay." She closed her eyes again. Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D major. Her foot tapped a little. She wanted to let the music carry her away entirely, but this was not the place for that. Later. When she was alone.

Now everyone was looking back and forth from Olivia to Jasper and back again. Jasper looked like he wanted to eat his stand. Like he wanted to torture it, stab it to death, shred it, stew it, and then eat it in huge mouthfuls.

"Well…." Mr. Engle looked undecided. "Jasper, do you think you could come up here? I think I need to get a closer comparison."

Jasper picked up his violin and came to the front of the class to stand on the other side of the director's podium.

"Play a solo, please, Jasper. If you don't mind," said Mr. Engle.

Jasper glared at Olivia with a look of such pure hatred, such complete and utter loathing, that Olivia actually (unconsciously) took a tiny step back. He then started to play. It was Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Summer I. And it was really good. Okay, Olivia admitted to herself, it was not just Mister Mazarati's ridiculously expensive violin that made him sound good. He had some serious talent.

Jasper finished his solo, smirking at Olivia. The smirk faded when he looked at Mr. Engle. The teacher seemed to have never been so indecisive in his life. His gaze shifted from Olivia to Jasper to the floor. "Olivia, do you think you could play something else, perhaps?"

"You know it, sir," she said. She let her inhibitions fly to the wind, and ripped into her favorite Celtic riffs. She was on her toes… Olivia bounced in time to the music; she twirled; she leaned this way and that; she kicked into the air; she danced and played. Suddenly Jasper joined in with a matching tune, walking towards her. He leaned into the song, daring her to compete. She played right back, staring pointedly at him.

The class loved it. Olivia danced around her competitor as they both raged on, faster and faster and faster.

Jasper's POV

Oh _hell _no.

There was no way in the universe the Jasper was letting this… this… _nobody _take his chair. He hated her. That's all there was to it. She thought she could just waltz right in here and take the only thing he could ever really have…

Ever since he had joined the Cullens in their "vegetarian" lifestyle, Jasper had been forced to live as a human. That meant that he couldn't stand out in anything. He had to dumb himself down in all of his classes, high-school and college, just so that no one would take interest in him and find out their secret. It was only when they'd come to Forks for high school that he'd finally been able to convince Carlisle to let him shine at something, so show everyone how good he was. He'd picked violin. Music was the only thing he'd been able to keep from his human life, so naturally it was his first choice. He was the best violinist at Forks High. So he really _didn't _need some new kid coming in here and taking the only thing that he could be himself with.

It was bad enough that he got stuck with her in English class. That morning, it had taken all his willpower to stop himself from jumping on her right then and there. In that class, he was subjected to hundreds of those cursed pulses, those heartbeats that sent delicious blood pounding just under her fragile skin. The bell had been a godsend; he'd been horribly close to killing her right there in the classroom, and that would have ruined everything.

And then, she invaded his sanctum. _His _orchestra. And the worst part? She was good. No, she was really good. No, fantastic. Scratch all of that. "Orange" Olivia Harrison was incredibly, unbelievably talented. And she was better than him. Jasper was as good as she was now, yes. But she'd only had so much of a lifetime to practice. He'd had a century and half to get to where he was now, and he had vampire abilities to help. She was just really, really talented- a prodigy.

So, yes, he hated her. But at the same time, he could never hate her. He'd felt the emotion that she had when she'd played. It wasn't something he'd ever encountered before, but it was. It was everything and nothing all at the same time. He'd never felt anything so pure as when Olivia Harrison had made music. So he couldn't hate her. But he did. He hated her so much, more than he'd ever hated anything. What was worse was that she didn't hate him back. He wanted her to hate him, so that his hatred could be justified as something beyond petty jealousy. But she didn't. When they dueled, all that came from her was this strange playfulness.

"That's enough, you two. For now, you're just going to have to share the title of 'first chair.' We might change that later on, but for now you'll just have to deal with it. Now, I want you to look each other in the eyes, smile, shake hands, and say, 'you are an extremely talented violin player and I admire your abilities,'" ordered Mr. Engle.

Olivia stuck out her hand, grinning widely. Jasper wanted to smack that smile right off of her face. Perhaps crushing her skull in the process. "I'd rather not," he said dryly. He watched as the smile faded from her face, replaced by an O of disbelief.

"Excuse me, Mr. Hale?" asked Mr. Engle. The class whispered, shocked that someone would defy a teacher for something so stupid.

"I said that I would rather not." The human Jasper would have done it. But this Jasper couldn't do it. Sure, his pride would have been hurt, but that wasn't the reason. He physically could not touch her. If he did, she would know he was different.

There was something in Jasper that really wanted Olivia to know he was different.

He wanted to think that it was to scare her into backing down, but he knew that was a lie. He didn't actually know why, and it scared him. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't the vampire scare the human? No, Jasper was afraid of Olivia.

Jasper had never had such conflicting emotions. He'd felt how honest Olivia was when she'd stuck out her hand to compromise, and how hurt she'd been when he'd refused to do the same thing. He felt awful for doing that to her. But he was also glad that he'd made her suffer for making him suffer. That was fair, right?

Olivia's hand still hung in the air.

"Mr. Hale, you will shake hands with her this instant or I will kick you out of this class!" snapped Mr. Engle.

"Fine. Do it, then," Jasper replied.

"Shake hands NOW or I swear to God I will throw you out of this orchestra!"

Jasper's eyes went wide. No! He couldn't touch Olivia, but he would never leave the orchestra. It was one thing to share first chair, it was another entirely to give up this class. That, he would never, ever do. So what?

Jasper took Olivia's hand and shook it. He felt her surprise but she showed nothing. "You are a… _very _talented violin player, Olivia. And I admire you."

"And you, Jazzy Jasper Hale the Mazarati, Paul Baumer of All Quiet on the Western Front, are one hell of a violin player. And I admire you right back."

She was so annoyingly honest. Jasper tried to ignore the warmth of the blood in her hand. He tried not to leap away from her in horror after the handshake ended- horror at what he had been an inch away from doing, how horribly close he had been to draining her right in front of the class, and virtually destroying the entire Cullen coven.

**12/10: I'm really, really sorry to all of you. I've been, let me REPEAT, selfish and amateur, and I'm not going to let it happen again. The update/review policy is officially revoked. It was stupid. I don't deserve your time. If you really like Criminal Minds, you'll get off my worthless, shitty writing and go read someone like Cassieoeia823 or CatherineJosephineMarie007. Or if you like Jasper, you'll read chuffed-git, or if you like Harry Potter you'll read lostmidtranslation. They're all better than me and much more worth your time. I don't even follow up on real life promises, let alone the stuff I promise to people on here. Disgruntled Reader, whoever you are, thank you for disenchanting me as to my worth as a writer. I needed the reality check.**


	3. The Stew Pot Incident

Yeah, it's short. I'm sorry! But I HAD to get an update uploaded, since I got a second review. Thank you! The rest of you should start reviewing. To quote my own profile, "I thrive in harsh critical environments!" So REVIEW! It's my policy, I shall NOT upload again until you review. So there, says the all-powerful writer. And yes, it's kind of choppy due to POV changes. Please look at my Harry Potter story! No one likes Harry Potter anymore, it's sad. Plus it's Fred-centric, so not a huge base to suck from anyway. Please? -Angel

Carlisle's POV

Dr. Cullen worried abowas ut Jasper. Three weeks ago, Jasper had come home raging about some new girl whom he apparently now hated. Carlisle had sat and watched Jasper pace back and forth, ranting about how much he loathed this girl who could play the violin. After a few days, Edward had come to Carlisle wondering if Jasper should take a 'vacation.'

Edward himself had recently skipped school for an un-Carlisle-approved length of time to avoid his new lab partner. According to him, Jasper now spent much of his time either thinking of ways to lure Olivia out of the school to kill and drain her, or devising plans to kill her for reasons wholly unrelated to her blood, or wishing that he could talk to her without thinking of ways to kill her. "I've never seen anyone so confused in my entire life," Edward had said. "It's like he hates her and loves her all at the same time."

Presently, Carlisle had found a solution. Jasper was just home from a long hunt, so Olivia Harrison's blood would be far from his mind. Carlisle explained his plan to Jasper, who at first refused. As Carlisle went on, Jasper became more and more willing to accept the idea. Finally, he agreed. The plan would be implemented the next day. But first, they were headed outside. There was a thunderstorm approaching.

Olivia's POV

The first raindrop hit Olivia square on the nose.

"Crap! Oh this is _just _what I need, oh _thank you_, this is exactly what I wanted!" she mumbled to herself. She rushed to grab her spare tarp (good squatters are always prepared) and hold it over her cooking fire. Realizing that there was no point, as she was pretty much done cooking anyway, she put the tarp away and let the rain put her fire out. She uncovered her huge, cauldron-like pot and sniffed at the stew. It not only smelled good, it would feed her for three more days, at least. Olivia ran into her tent for her mess-kit, which contained a steel mug, bowl, and ring of cutlery. She forgot to put the cover back on her stew.

Jasper's POV

There's nothing like a lightning-infused baseball game to get your mind off a girl. Believe it, Jasper knows. He stood in between first and second base, waiting for Alice to pitch. Edward and Rosalie cheered for Emmett, who was now up to bat.

Alice threw, and Emmett swung… With a resounding _crack, _the ball went flying.

Jasper took off after it. The ball soared over the trees in the forest, with Jasper in hot pursuit. He was going to get it. Screw gravity and inertia, he could outrun them. That ball was his to catch, and he would win the game…

Olivia's POV

Olivia was just coming out of her tent when something landed in her soup.

She ran over, wondering what the hell would have come flying out of nowhere to attack her dinner. A meteorite? A bird? A lost satellite from NASA?

Or… a baseball.

Olivia grabbed the thing out of her pot. "What the f-"

Jasper Hale was standing at the edge of her clearing, looking horrified.

"-ffffudgemonkey…" She blushed a brilliant shade of scarlet. "Is this, um, yours?" she asked him.

"Er… yeah. That's mine."

For the first time in the three weeks she'd known him, Olivia realized that Jasper had the slightest whisper of a Southern accent. She wished that she didn't think that was adorable.

"Sorry, it's kind of covered in stew right now." She handed the ball back to him. "So, how exactly did your baseball end up in my dinner?"

"Er…" Jasper thought, _Human! Stay AWAY, _as loudly as he could, hoping that Edward would hear it and stop the others. "I was walking… and tossing the ball around. It must have gone astray and landed, you know…"

"You were walking in the woods in the rain?"

"That's no odder than you camping out here on a school night. What are you out here, anyway?"

"I live here."

Jasper stared for a moment.

"Is that weird for you, Jasper?" Olivia asked. "Does it offend you that I'm homeless?" She wasn't trying to be touchy, it just happened that way.

"No! No, of course not, it doesn't offend me. Why would it?" Jasper raised his hands in defense. He didn't want her to feel as embarrassed as he felt she did.

An increasingly awkward silence followed.

Jasper noticed that Olivia was shivering. Her clothes and hair had completely soaked through in the rain. In the lull in conversation, he tried to think of some way to help her. Seeing her out here alone made him feel bad. She had virtually nothing compared to him. Her violin playing was probably her one shot to really make something of herself. Right then and there, Jasper decided to let Olivia have the first chair.

"Do you want to come back to my place?" he asked her.

Olivia's mind went straight to the wrong place. Oh, surely that wasn't what he meant…

Jasper noticed her blushing. "Oh God, no. That's not how I meant it! You know, come over to dry off. I've got heating in my house, and I'm sure my family wouldn't mind."

Lie. Of course they would mind. Rosalie was going to kill him.

**12/10: I'm really, really sorry to all of you. I've been, let me REPEAT, selfish and amateur, and I'm not going to let it happen again. The update/review policy is officially revoked. It was stupid. I don't deserve your time. If you really like Criminal Minds, you'll get off my worthless, shitty writing and go read someone like Cassieoeia823 or CatherineJosephineMarie007. Or if you like Jasper, you'll read chuffed-git, or if you like Harry Potter you'll read lostmidtranslation. They're all better than me and much more worth your time. I don't even follow up on real life promises, let alone the stuff I promise to people on here. Disgruntled Reader, whoever you are, thank you for disenchanting me as to my worth as a writer. I needed the reality check.**


	4. Overpass

"Wow, this house is really…" Olivia started.

"What?" Jasper asked.

"Big…" Olivia trailed off.

Jasper couldn't have imagined a more awkward situation. Even Olivia could see Rosalie glaring at him from across the room. Esme came offered to give Olivia a tour, which she accepted. Anything to get out of that tension-bomb of a room. Carlisle called Jasper over to the next room to explain.

"Would you like to tell me what's going on?" Carlisle asked.

Jasper stared at his feet. He could feel Rosalie's eyes looking daggers at his back. "You know that my relationship with her is… special…."

"That doesn't explain why you brought her to _our house, _you idiot," Rosalie spat.

"Let me finish! When Emmett hit that one ball, it went flying into the woods and straight into her dinner. She's homeless, Carlisle. I couldn't just leave her out there in the storm, all alone."

"I think it's sweet of him," Alice said from the corner. "Like saving a damsel in distress."

"Well," said Rosalie. "Maybe her being a nobody is a good thing. I mean, if Jasper had to take a shine to a human, at least she's a human no one will miss if she suddenly disappears."

"Rosalie! How could you say that?" Carlisle scolded, horrified that one of his own could even think such a thing.

"Think about it!" said Rosalie, defending herself. "If he kills her, no one will come looking for her. Homeless people go missing all the time and no one notices."

"I know it's awful, Carlisle," said Edward from his seat opposite Rosalie. "But no matter how bad it is that she said it, it's true."

"And this is the study," said Esme. "So, where did you live before Forks?"

"Seattle," replied Olivia.

"So what brought you out of the big city?"

"I just kind of wanted out of all the crowd, you know? But I go back most weekends, to visit friends and update Carmella Dancing."

"Update what?"

"Carmella Dancing. It's this site I run, where I put up remixed songs for download. It's how I earn money, kind of like a job."

"That sounds like fun," Esme smiled.

"It really is," said Olivia. She yawned and then, realizing she had rich company, embarrassedly covered her mouth.

"Tired?" Esme asked. "I'll fix up a bed."

"What? Bed? Oh no, I couldn't impose…"

"Yes, you can. It's not imposing when we have plenty of space. It's getting late, anyway. I wouldn't want you wandering the woods alone at night."

The argument between Carlisle and Rosalie over the importance of Olivia's life was escalating. Esme cracked the door open to shush them, telling them that Olivia was sleeping and they needed to be quiet. Jasper walked out to the living room where Esme had pushed two couches together into a makeshift bed for the visitor. Olivia was curled beneath the spare sheets pulled over the seat-cushions. Jasper sensed a small trickle of fear emanating from her, growing stronger. She turned over before tossing back again. Nightmare. Jasper leaned closer to the fragile human girl, gently pushing the flame-colored hair from her pale forehead. He could see her eyes moving rapidly beneath her eyelids. Her fear grew stronger. She muttered something in her sleep, something along the lines of, "It hurts, Mom." Jasper sent her a wave of comfort, and she relaxed. He leaned even closer, until his nose brushed against her hair. Jasper couldn't remember the last time he'd been this close to a human, and she smelled better than anything because of that.

"Jasper?" It was Alice. She'd silently come up behind him while he'd been distracted. "Be careful. I just saw her in a coffin, and even though I'm not sure why, you being in that proximity to her certainly isn't helping her chances."

Jasper stepped away. "How about now? Is she okay now?" he asked.

Alice concentrated for a moment. "Nothing," she said.

Jasper sighed. "How did the debate turn out?"

"Rosalie's still a little mad…"

"A _little?_"

"… but Carlisle thinks that having her here is good for you, if a little risky. He still wants you to go through with the plan, you know. Edward is undecided, but it looks like he's leaning towards Rosalie's side…"

"That hypocrite."

"… but I'm on your side, as are Esme and Emmett. So as long as you want her here, and I'm guessing that you do, she can stay. You have all of our support either way, though. No matter what happens."

"Thanks, Alice."

The next day…

"Hey, Jasper?"

Jasper turned to see Olivia bounding up to him, violin case in hand.

"I wanted to thank you," she said. "For the first chair spot. I know it was important to you, and it means a lot that you'd do that for me. And thank you for the roof, too. For everything, really. Aren't you so glad it's Friday?!" She smiled and spun around happily. With the force of her spins, Olivia's cheap violin case's one working clasp gave way. Her precious violin flew out and she shrieked. Jasper lunged, and just before it hit the ground, caught the instrument. He turned to hand it back to her, feeling waves of shock and relief emanating from her. When she reached to take the violin back, their fingers touched briefly. "Damn, Jazzy. You've got the coldest hands I've ever felt!" She giggled. "But you know what they say: Cold hands, warm heart!" she said, skipping off.

"Wait, Olivia!" Jasper called after her.

"Yes?"

"Do you want a ride? It's a long walk to my house. Or even to your place, come to think of it."

"I'm not going to either place. I'm off to Seattle for the weekend. The bus stop's a few miles that way, so I figure I can make it."

Jasper paused. "Do you want me to walk with you?"

"Sure, I guess. You'll have to walk back all by yourself, though, and it's an awful long way for you to go from the bus stop to your house."

"I'll be fine, believe me."

They walked in silence along the highway for a while, in the grass at the edge of the trees. Cars zipped by occasionally. Eventually they started talking, which lasted until they came to an overpass. Olivia walked around to get up onto it, and then climbed up on the wall that separated any passing cars from the fall to the road below. Jasper raised an eyebrow. "That's not a particularly good idea. You could die if you fell."

"I won't fall, silly. I do this all the time. You should have seen the bridges in Seattle at rush hour. Such adrenaline! It was epic." She hopped along the cement wall, testing luck.

"I would feel a lot better if you would come back over here," Jasper called. Olivia was now at the midpoint of the bridge.

"Don't worry, Jazz! I'm just going to the other side, and then I'll walk back the normal way, if that makes you happy." She pirouetted in place, scaring the crap out of Jasper; he wasn't sure what he would do if she fell. For better or for worse, he was about to find out.

Olivia suddenly stopped spinning and put a hand over her stomach. Jasper felt her stress as she bent over, clutching her middle. "Are you okay?" he shouted.

"I think I ate something… gross…" she moaned. She stumbled a bit and lost her balance. Olivia screamed as she fell, arms flailing. The next thing she knew, she was on the other side of the road, lying in the grass, and her head hurt.

Jasper sprung out of his position by the bridge, running out to catch Olivia before she fell to her death. He leapt into the air to grab her, about ten feet from the ground. They hit the ground rolling as Jasper tried to absorb the shock, both physical and emotional. He felt the impact when Olivia's head struck the pavement, and he smelled the blood the instant it broke free of her skin. Jasper yelled something incomprehensible as they came to a skidding halt in the grass at the side of the highway. He crouched over her, holding her head in his hands. Olivia stared at him for a moment before her eyes lost focus and rolled back. Jasper didn't dare breathe for fear of attacking her. Then he noticed the blood all over his palms.

"Edward!" Alice shouted. It took Edward one second to read his adopted sister's thoughts before he drove his car into a hugely illegal u-turn, back towards the school and the highway. Less than two minutes later the Volvo came to a screeching stop. Alice was already out of the car and sprinting over to Jasper, who was trying desperately to control himself and was about to fail. Alice smacked into him, the impact taking the both of them into the woods as she tried to get Jasper out of the area. Edward ran over and took off his jacket, which he wrapped around Olivia's bleeding head. He carried the unconscious girl over and put her in his car before speeding off to the hospital.


	5. Sleepyhead

**Wow, it seems I haven't put this up before… I could have sworn that I already had this chapter posted. I'm already done with the sixth one! I'll just make it longer or something, I suppose. I really have only put up the first four??? Well, anyway, thank you for reading!**

Olivia woke up to a bright, white light, and all she wanted to do was fall back asleep.

"Hey, there, sleepyhead," came a voice next to her.

"What- Emmett?"

"How are you? You really know how to fall, I'll tell you what. The doctor said you were really lucky that you'd fallen the way you did, because the damage could have been a lot worse. But then again, you could be luckier. You know Bella? She slipped on a flight of stairs this morning and didn't even bruise. When you did the exact same thing, you got a concussion. Weird how stuff works, huh?"

"Wait, I didn't fall down stairs…" started Olivia.

"Yes, you did. Don't you remember?"

"No, I didn't. I swear I didn't. I fell off the overpass on the highway and Jasper…"

"Highway? You fell in the middle of the school day. At _school. _Tumbled right down from the second to first floor of the PA wing…"

"Liar."

"I'm telling you the truth, Livvy."

"Don't call me that! You're lying to me!"

"I'd better call the doctor. You might hurt yourself, getting worked up like this."

And then he was gone. Like he'd disappeared into thin air. Olivia felt cold. While she was eternally grateful to the Cullens for sheltering her, she couldn't help but feel like there was something not quite right about them all. For instance, they all had ridiculously cold skin, as if they'd just stepped out of a vat of ice water. They all had the same honey-colored eyes and milky complexions. Most noticeable of all, they were all ethereally beautiful in a way that made Olivia uncomfortable. It was completely beyond the self-consciousness she felt around the normal pretty people. Plus, she'd never seen any of them eat or sleep or interact with people beyond the absolute necessities of everyday life. The Cullens were otherworldly.

"Olivia?"

She snapped out of her reverie.

It was Dr. Cullen. "Olivia?" he repeated. "How are you?"

Olivia looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. In his expression, it was obvious that he could see the suspicion written all over her face. "I'm fine, except that I've just been told that things I clearly remember didn't happen and that things I don't remember at all did happen."

"Ah, yes. Emmett told me about that. It occurs frequently with concussion patients, so don't worry. This is perfectly normal. You're suffering from a small bout of amnesia. This causes the jumbling in your memories that you're experiencing now. Honestly, I'm not surprised. That was quite a fall, from what I hear."

"Yeah, it was quite a fall; I fell off a damn bridge!"

"I understand that you're confused, and it's making you angry not to have control over your own memories. You see, Olivia," Carlisle explained, "If you were to have fallen off of an overpass, as you say, you'd probably be dead. Even if you were to have survived, you'd be paralyzed and most likely comatose."

"But Jasper…"

"Jasper what, Olivia? What is it that you remember, exactly?" There was a searching look on Dr. Cullen's face that, while not unkind, disconcerted her.

"He… I'm not sure, really… One second I was falling and the next…"

"That vagueness means it's a fabricated memory. Don't be alarmed if you don't remember what really happened. Permanent amnesia is common in these situations."

Dr. Cullen's explanation was unsettling in that it made more sense than Olivia's own mind could. But she knew that she'd fallen off of that overpass. She could remember everything that had passed in the entire school day, and then afterwards before the fall. They'd walked out, and Jasper had caught the violin when she'd dropped it. Now that she thought of it, that incident was extremely strange, as well. She'd been too terrified at the moment to notice how quickly he had reacted to that, and how he'd lunged out so fast she'd hardly seen him move. In Carlisle and Emmett's version of the story, neither of those events ever took place. Olivia decided that they were both liars. They must be hiding something big, because she wanted to think that they wouldn't lie to her over nothing. But what did Olivia Harrison really know about the Cullen clan?

Jasper's POV

"How is she doing?" Jasper asked Emmett.

"She's fine, man," Emmett replied. "Confused and mad at me, but fine. You did good, Jazz."

"Actually, I did-"

"Don't you go correcting my English, little bastard." Emmett grinned. "You did _well,_ okay? We're all really proud of you. Alice said that you actually got her blood on your hands. Is that right?"

"It is indeed…" Jasper replied.

"And you still didn't even go into a frenzy. That's huge, Jazz. I don't know if even I could have done that."

Jasper was about to comment when they were interrupted by a racket down the hallway. A couple was arguing with a nurse at the desk. "You can't visit right now without identification."

"Identification? What is this, some kind of top-secret government facility? Who do you think you are, the CIA? We practically raised that kid!" snapped the man, whose mohawk stood out blaringly against the tidy background of the small-town hospital.

"Easy, RJ," said the woman. "Let's not cause a scene."

"A scene, Monet? This isn't a scene. I'll show them a scene."

"Sir!" cried the nurse as RJ started running down the hall.

"Olivia!" RJ shouted. "We're here to see you!" Two doctors reached out and caught him, but he kept plowing on. "Where are you, baby girl?"

The woman, Monet, just stayed where she was, rolling her eyes. This was a kind of thing she'd dealt with often. With a sigh, she began to follow her partner, who was now clutching a random doorframe to prevent the hospital personnel from removing him. Jasper watched as Olivia poked her head out her door. He stepped in front of her. "I'm not sure you should be walking around just yet."

She looked at him, blinking twice, before ducking around him. As the staff was thoroughly engaged with the struggling RJ, they completely missed Monet running past them with open arms. "Liv, baby!" she exclaimed. The two embraced happily, Monet inquiring as to Olivia's health repeatedly. Seeing that the patient truly did know the visitors, the doctors released RJ from an awkward chokehold. They were about to give up, anyway; RJ had been as determined as any father getting in to see his injured daughter. "Stupid Feds, always up in everyone's business," RJ muttered. "I bet they cover this whole place, secretly running this hospital from behind closed d-"

"Can it, RJ. This is a public hospital; of course it's run by the government. Get a hold of yourself," chided Monet. "Can't you see Liv needs us?"

Olivia nodded in agreement, making a face that would give the sorriest pound-puppy a run for its money. Jasper took note of how despite how radically different they all looked, they still made a rag-tag family. Though, that might have just been the hair. In Forks, mohawks, pink dreadlocks, and orange ponytails aren't something you see often. Those who look so are probably connected somehow.

Alice's POV

A tingling sensation at the back of her head warned Alice to get out of the busy waiting room. She hurried out and climbed into Rose's car, barely having time to pull the door shut before the vision started. Hoping that it wasn't anything to do with Olivia's condition and suspicion, she resigned to her gift. She was in no way comforted by what she saw.

_The five Cullen 'children' arrived at their house, glad to be away from the humans that surrounded them constantly at school. Olivia hadn't felt well earlier and had stayed home with Esme. A note was tacked to the front door, informing them that Esme had gone out hunting for a spell and Olivia should be asleep inside. Edward, Rosalie, and Emmett all went outside to join their adoptive mother, but Jasper said that something didn't feel right. He would know, Alice decided, and followed him upstairs. Olivia was in Jasper's room, since he never used it. They let the door open slowly, hoping that it wouldn't creak. Jasper froze in the doorway. There was something very wrong about the air. It didn't have that tinge of warmth that it should around a human. Everything was completely silent, completely still. In an instant, Jasper was on his knees at her side. He let out a cry that, for all the world, Alice wished she could erase from her mind. Olivia's skin was waxy pale and the area around her eyes was a sickly purple. Her cheekbones were hollow and her lips were drawn and chapped. She hadn't been well in a long time and they'd all known it. As Jasper gently pulled her limp form from beneath the sheets, she looked smaller, somehow. As if when she passed, the empty shell she left shrank for the lack of her. Alice backed against the wall, sliding down to seat herself on the floor. The rest of the coven rushed in as response to Jasper's cries, but stopped at the threshold. There was nothing they could do. Jasper just sat, clutching the body to him, screaming at the world for what it took from him._

Alice snapped back to reality with a start, just as Olivia was being escorted out of the hospital by wheelchair. She had until Monday, when Olivia got back from Seattle, to figure out what to do.


	6. Secrets No More

**Look, I know it's short. But I've been low on inspiration as far as how to get it from this part to the next… Transitions suck, man. I usually try to get updates longer before I post, but I think I owe you all something for putting up with me. Enjoy!**

Monday arrived, school was back, and Olivia was none too happy about it. She'd only been attending for a few weeks and already, she was sick of it. Why had she wanted to do this again? Finally, the lunch bell rang. Olivia pointedly did not sit with the Cullens, opting instead for her warmer, squishier, more talkative friends. "Hey, Angela?" she asked.

"Yeah?" Angela answered from behind her PB&J.

"Your art class is just down the hall from the orchestra room, right?"

"Mm-hm."

"And after class, I said bye to you on Friday, right?"

"Yeah. Where are you going with this, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Oh, no where… Say, did you see me leave school?"

"Yeah, you left with Jasper Hale."

"Thank you, Angie…" Olivia skipped over to the table in the corner where the Loner Clan sat all by their dainty, beautiful selves. That is, except for Bella Swan. She'd recently taken to sitting with Edward. Olivia wasn't sure what to make of her, having seen no discernible personality, whatsoever. But Bella Swan wasn't her focus at that moment. "Hey, Emmett, guess what I was just talking to Angela about."

"Um, clothes? Hair? I dunno, girl stuff?"

"Really? No, Emmett. I was just talking to Angela about how I said goodbye to her on Friday after class let out, just before leaving with Jasper. Just like you and the good doctor told me I didn't. So who am I supposed to believe, here?"

Emmett's mouth opened to say something, but Alice cut it. "Olivia? I think you and I should go for a walk. How does that sound? Let's cut class together."

"That sounds fantastic. But why?"

"Just come with me."

Alice's ice cold hand closed around Olivia's own as she led her out of the cafeteria, off campus, and into the woods. She was noticeably non-perky, which was a drastic change from her usual self. She didn't smile; there was no bounce in her step. She just pulled Olivia along after her, going faster and faster, Olivia tripping more and more frequently. "Alice, would you _slow down_?"

Alice stopped. They were standing in the middle of wooded nowhere. Olivia would have thought the forest pretty if she wasn't more preoccupied with how weird this whole thing was. Alice began to speak. "Olivia, you're sick. You're really, really sick."

"In what way? Like, the awesome kind of sick? Or are you saying I'm a psychotic freak, or-"

"I mean you're dying."

"Um."

"I'm serious, I swear to God I am so serious right now, Olivia. I'm about to tell you some things, and I need you to trust me and believe it all, okay? Don't freak out, don't scream, don't run, don't do anything, okay?"

"Right…"

"We're all vampires, Olivia. All of the Cullen family. We're a coven. We're going to live forever. We drink blood, but from animals, not humans. Do you understand me so far?"

"Come on, Alice…"

In an instant Alice was inches away from Olivia, before she was suddenly in the tree above her. "You think this is a joke? I told you to trust me, Liv! You've got to, okay? If not for your own sake, then for Jasper's."

"W-What does Jasper have to do with any of this?"

She jumped down, landing the thirty foot drop perfectly. "Just listen to me, okay? We have all kinds of abilities, like Edward can read minds and Jasper can control people's emotions-"

"He can do _what _now?"

"And I can see the future. And I know what's going to happen to you, Olivia. You're very, very sick, but I only know of one way to fix it."

"What exactly is this illness of mine?"

"I don't know, but I know that it's going to kill you. Surely you've noticed something? Some weird feeling?"

"The only weird feeling I'm getting is around all of you. I mean, thanks for sheltering me and everything, but I don't think that I really want in on all of this."

"Please, Liv. I can save your life."

"How?"

"I'll change you into one of us. It'll hurt, but no less than it will when you die. I saw it, you were in a lot of pain."

"Fantastic. Look, I'm sorry if I don't really get this 'vampire' business right now…"

"What isn't there to get?!" Alice was extremely frustrated by this point. She jumped up, came down, and slammed her fist into a boulder, breaking it into several pieces. She sped around her friend until she managed to create a small whirlwind. Then she dropkicked a tree, for good measure. "Don't you see this?!" she yelled.

A golden figure blurred out of the forest and grabbed Alice by the shoulders. "What are you doing?! What is the matter with you?!"

Jasper had arrived.

"She doesn't believe me! How can she not believe me, Jazz? She's got to!"

"What are you talking about?"

"She doesn't believe that we're vampires…"

"You _told_ her?!"

"Holy. Fucking. Shit." Propriety thrown to the wind, Olivia was too terrified to comprehend what was going on. She'd been living under the same roof as these people. No, not people. Monsters. She'd been living with monsters. She'd known there was something wrong with them, but this was so far beyond anything she'd imagined could ever be real. She backed up slowly, as if they were bears. Then she spun around and took off, letting pure instinct take over. Branches and undergrowth clawed at her skin and clothes as she crashed through the forest, praying that they didn't catch her. Running was everything. Running was all there was. The world rushed by in shades of green and brown, and somehow everything was trying to hurt her. Her own body wanted to hurt her. Her muscles were tired and she was out of breath, but that was nothing compared to the searing pain in her abdomen. Olivia collapsed on the ground and rolled into a stand of bushes, hoping to hide herself, if only a little bit. She wrapped her arms around her middle, hoping to make it all go away. Her vision blurred and then everything went black.


	7. Frosted Flakes and Dryers

Olivia woke to a soft, yellow light. She was lying in a bed, which was interesting, but she decided to appreciate it rather than ask questions. Curling tighter, she let herself sink deeper into the mattress's cushiness. Unfortunately, someone wasn't going to let her go back to sleep. "Time to wake up," said a voice. "School starts in half an hour."

"Mmmm?"

"Open your eyes, Livvy," said Alice. She poked Olivia's forehead with a cold finger. _Why are their_ _hands always so cold? _Olivia thought. _Oh yeah._

"Don't wanna," she mumbled.

"Yeah, well, you need to."

"Do not want."

"Come on, Liv. Let's get you up." Alice yanked the blankets clear off the bed. She took hold of Olivia's shoulders and sat her up. "I'm taking you shopping after school, by the way. Thrift-store chic is only good in moderation."

"Mmmm."

"Just stand up, and we'll work from there."

The entire previous afternoon suddenly flooded Olivia's groggy head. The Cullens were all vampires. Alice wanted to turn her into a vampire, because she was dying. She was very, very sick. After that little fainting episode, she was a bit more inclined to believe it. "You didn't tell anyone, did you? About my… condition?"

"No. Only Edward knows, because he saw it in my head. But I've convinced him to keep his trap shut. No biggie!"

"Thanks. I just need to think about the whole thing. I just… I don't want to deal with it all right now."

"Understandable. But if you ever decide that you don't want to die, I'm right here. You know, forever."

"Right. Thanks." Olivia grabbed a tee and jeans from the bowels of her handy-dandy-duffel, which had somehow made its way into this unfamiliar bedroom, along with the rest of her stuff. She looked around, noting the framed pictures, books, speaker set. "So, where am I?"

"Jasper's room," Alice answered.

"Um, why?"

"He never uses it, so he wanted you to have it. We don't, you know, sleep."

Now behind Jasper's bathroom door, Olivia rolled her eyes. _Of course _they didn't. What else was she going to find out about the Cullens? "Every day, learn something new and creepy…" she muttered.

"Oh, and we can hear really well, so basically anything you say within twenty yards, we'll hear. Maybe more, depending on how loud you are," Alice called.

"That's fabulous, thanks for letting me know," Olivia called back. Alice giggled. Olivia yanked the tee over her head, putting one arm through a sleeve.

"You might want to check that," Alice said, suppressing laughter.

"Check what?"

"You'll be putting that on backwards."

A quick look in the mirror confirmed what Alice already knew, and Olivia rolled her eyes. "You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"

"You're so funny when you're sleepy and annoyed," said Alice. "Come on, your breakfast awaits you."

Breakfast turned out to be a porcelain bowl of Frosted Flakes with a small mountain of sliced strawberries. This was all coated with white sugar, as if the "Frosted" component of the "Flakes" wasn't enough. Olivia was in the middle of her third spoonful when she realized that everyone was staring at her. Expressions ranged from curious (Jasper) to disgusted (Rosalie) to extremely amused (Emmett). "What?" Olivia asked.

"It's just so _weird,_" Emmett said, grinning.

"What's weird?" Olivia wanted to know, defensive.

"The crunching sound," said Jasper. "We haven't heard it so clearly in a long time. It's strange," he said, reaching into the open box, which was sitting on the table, and pulled out a single flake. He crushed it between his thumb and forefinger, listening.

"Well, I think _you're _weird," Olivia commented. She chewed extra loudly for a bit before putting the mess into the sink. "I am done," she announced, slinging her book bag onto her back.

School was as much of a non-event as it had ever been, passing in one long, bored blur, broken only by lunch. Olivia ate with Angela so that she wouldn't feel like a bizarre museum exhibit on the Sounds of Eating. "So, Olivia," Angela started. "What's up with, you know, you and the Cullens? You seem to be getting rides from them and talking to them a lot… They don't let many people into their circle."

"They're just helping me out. I don't have a car or any other means of transportation other than my trusty feet, and my place is kind of a ways away." Olivia shrugged and continued to eat her sandwich. "Hey, have you heard anything good on the radio lately?"

"Not really. I mean, there's the normal catchy stuff, but nothing that I like in particular. Why do you ask?"

"There's this website called Carmella Dancing that I want you to check out. Spread it around for me, okay?"

"Alright." Angela smiled.

Alice was the most enthusiastic shopper Olivia had ever known. She darted into every store, ruffled through every rack, searched every shelf there was to be found in the malls of Port Angeles. As it turned out, Olivia was pretty enthusiastic, herself. "I had no idea you were so girly!" Alice exclaimed.

"I could never afford girliness before…" Olivia said. "I'm not mooching, am I?"

"Don't be silly. We're only using my allowance, and besides, I'm not the one in need here. This is more fun than shopping for myself, believe me! Styling for other people is so much more satisfying," Alice chirped. "Don't sweat it."

"So, you don't mind going into Urban, then?" Olivia asked.

"Don't be so tentative, I love that store!" Alice grabbed Olivia's hand and pulled her into the store. Before long, they were both loaded down with hangers down each arm, a pair of shoes in each hand. When the woman at the dressing rooms informed them that only seven items were allowed per dressing room, Alice looked so crestfallen that Olivia had to laugh. "We can make more than one trip," she assured her disappointed friend. On the way out, Alice held twice as many bags as the staggering Olivia with such ease, she could have been holding a lampshade, or a duckling, or something else really light and easy to carry, and you wouldn't have been able to tell the difference. Olivia barely made it to the car without falling over and being squished by her cargo.

"Oh, I meant to ask you," said Alice. "When's your birthday?"

"November, why?" Olivia raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, I need to start planning! So much to do, so little time…"

"Alice, it's December. Maybe you should worry about Christmas?"

"Oh, I did that a long time ago. Though, now that I think about it, I'll need to adjust everything to compensate for another person… a human at that…" Alice slammed the trunk shut. "Well, what do you think about mistletoe?" she said as they got into the car. Alice put the car in gear and zoomed out of the parking lot.

"Um, sure? You'll just have to tell me where it is so I can avoid it."

"Oh, that's no fun. I'll have to hide it so that you're the only one who can't see it!" said Alice, pointing to her eyes. "Vampire vision rules."

"Wonderful. Hey, do you mind if I do laundry when we get home? I-"

Alice reached over and held Olivia's hand, smiling.

"What is it?" Olivia asked, confused.

"You said 'home.' You could have said, 'when we get back to your house,' or something like that, but you said 'home.'"

"That's okay, right? I mean, if that's strange for you or something…"

"No. I'm really glad. We're going to be like sisters, you know. I saw it. By the way… How do you feel about Jasper, right now?"

"Does this have something to do with what you saw?"

"Maybe."

"I don't kn- !"

"Pft, don't be such a worry-wart. I've been driving as long as cars have been worth driving. Plus, I have super-fast reflexes. You're in good hands," Alice said as she swerved around the red sedan Olivia had been so afraid of. "So you were saying?"

"Just a minute, while my heart rate returns to normal speed," Olivia gasped. "Okay, so, Jasper… I don't know. We're friends, I guess?"

"Hmm."

"What did you see?" Olivia wanted to know.

"Nothing."

"Oh, you can't do that. You have to tell me!"

"You'll find out eventually. I hope. If not, I might have nudge h- never mind. I've said nothing."

"Come on, Alice! You can't do that!"

"Ooh, lookie, we're home. Let's see what Esme's made you for dinner!"

"You're not all going to watch me eat, are you?"

"Not if you don't want us to. Besides, I've got homework to do," Alice said, pulling into the garage. "See you later!"

"Wait! Alice, this isn't over! What did you see?" But Alice was already inside. By the time Olivia reached the door into the house, Alice was already (conveniently) in the shower. Jasper was standing at the kitchen table, looking nervous as hell. Set out on the table was some kind of chicken dish, arranged to match Seattle's finest restaurants. There was even a fancily folded napkin off to one side. He held a chair out for Olivia to sit in, because as it turns out, chivalry's not dead after all. _Like a true Southern gentleman, _Olivia thought. "So, this is my dinner?"

"Yeah. I made it. Unless it turns out really badly, in which case Edward made it. Esme was out hunting, or else she would have done it. Do you like it?" Jasper's eyes darted down to the plate.

"Well, I haven't tasted it yet, but it looks really pretty," Olivia said, reaching for the fork. She noticed that he was watching her every move intently. She moved the fork, now laden with chicken salad, to the left. Jasper's eyes followed it. She moved the fork to the right. Once again, Jasper watched it go. She moved it up and down, slowly, watching Jasper watch the fork. It wasn't until she started moving it in circles and spirals until he realized what she was doing. Embarrassed, he looked at his feet. "Can you vampires not blush?" Olivia asked. He shook his head, then faced her when she giggled. "Sorry," she said, taking a bite.

"Well?" Jasper asked.

Olivia swallowed. "Pretty good. I'm guessing you haven't cooked in a really long time, then?"

"No, I haven't. Not since the War."

"Which one? Vietnam?"

"The Civil War." Jasper went silent, and Olivia decided it was best not to pursue the subject. A few awkward minutes passed in which the only sound (to human ears, anyway) was the clink of fork on plate. Then Jasper broke the silence: "So, what was life like for you before Forks?"

"Well, I've also lived in Sporks, Spoons, and Switchblade, Washington…"

"I'm serious."

"You shouldn't be. Lighten up once in a while, Jazzy!" Olivia punched his arm playfully, then rubbed her fist. "Ow…"

Jasper grinned at her. "Alright, so where in Spoons did you learn to play violin the way you do?"

"In Switchblade, actually. But really though, I taught myself. When I was a kid, I'd sneak into the orchestra concerts in the big cities on the heels of field tripping-classes. No one ever noticed the mousy little kid at the back of the line…"

"So you learned by ear?"

"Pretty much. I learned to speak in accents the same way, except that was with movie theaters and lazy Blockbuster employees. I practiced British accents by sneaking into Harry Potter premieres- costumes always get you in- and getting Monty Python by way of five-finger discount. I have a particular favorite quote…"

"Let me guess: 'Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries.'"

"How did you know?" Olivia asked.

"What else could have been? Classic," Jasper said.

"That's so weird! I never would have pegged you for a Python fan!"

"Oh, there's a lot you don't know about me…" Jasper said, waggling his eyebrows.

"What was that? I didn't know you could cheesily insinuate innuendo!"

"Like I said."

"Speaking of laundry…" Olivia started.

"Wait, what?"

"I'd like to throw some sheets in the wash, if you don't mind."

Jasper looked at her for a second. "Um, sure… Do you think I'm dirty or something?"

"Oh, baby, I _know _you're dirty. _Sooo _dirty."

"Umm…. I'm going to go start that laundry for you. You can just… finish your dinner… bye." And then he was gone.

"And yet more evidence that vampires can't blush!" Olivia exclaimed to herself, cutting herself off with a bite of chicken that was hugely out of proportion with her mouth. Eventually, Esme arrived to keep her company until the meal was gone. Olivia made to put the dishes away, but Esme took them.

"I'll do this. Sounds like the dryer's almost done with those sheets. How about you go upstairs?"

Olivia nodded before heading up to the second floor, passing the wall of graduation caps on her way. Jasper was just taking the sheets out of the dryer when she arrived on the landing. "Oh, hey," he said. "These are done."

"Ooh, they're still warm!" Olivia snatched the linens out of Jasper's hands and promptly sat on the floor. She pulled the sheets over her head and snuggled down into them. "Care to join me, Jazzy?"

"What on earth are you doing?"

"This is one of my favorite things in the whole world. Haven't you ever cuddled with sheets fresh from the dryer?"

"No, I haven't," Jasper said.

"Well, try it!"

What happened next would puzzle Jasper for the next two weeks. Olivia reached up, grabbed his hand, and pulled him down. Jasper was a vampire; he had super-human strength and reflexes. There was no way Olivia should have been able to even startle him, but the next thing he knew he was face-flat on the carpet. As soon as he turned over onto his back, Olivia busied herself by shoving sheets into his face and trying to make him like it. "You just have to huggle them, like so," she said, demonstrating. "Huggles!"

Surrounded by the dryer-fresh laundry, Jasper had to admit it _was _fantastic, especially with Olivia curled up next to him emanating sheer joy. In that moment, Jasper felt completely human. That is, he felt human up until the point when she leaned over and kissed him. At first, all he felt was her lips, soft and warm like the sheets around them. But then he smelled her. Her scent- pine needles and laundry detergent and vanilla and _blood_- invaded his nose, his mind. Jasper's eyes became black. His fingers gripped Olivia's shoulders like a vice for an instant as he threw her against the wall. She was so shocked she couldn't even scream, like in the worst nightmares. Jasper pinned her down, but there was no need. Later, Olivia would regret ever thinking the phrase "paralyzed with fear" was a cliché.

"Jasper, stop!" Alice's voice rang clear through the air, like the cry of a guardian angel. At that point, Olivia really didn't know the difference. She was, then, little more than a trembling mess in the corner. Emmett and Edward pulled Jasper away, each holding one of his arms. Rosalie had her arms around Jasper's neck in a headlock, preventing him from escaping without being violently decapitated first. In any other situation, Olivia would have laughed, as the position they had him in was actually amazingly awkward-looking. But she was too busy trying to not die to notice. When Jasper went limp, his adoptive siblings let him fall to his knees. Alice had helped Olivia up off the floor, but the human girl flinched away from the vampire as soon as she was standing. Olivia managed to shakily make her way down the stairs, whimpering unconsciously the whole way. The sound was painfully loud to the Cullens, with their acute sense of sound. When she reached the front door, Olivia yanked at the handle, only to find that it was locked. She continued to pull at the door, rattling it on its hinges in her desperate need to be _away_. Esme arrived with a key, backed by Carlisle. Esme put the key into the lock and opened the door. She tried to touch Olivia's shoulder, but Olivia screamed. Jasper put his hands over his ears; he himself was shaking under the weight of Olivia's fear. And then she was nothing but a streak of orange disappearing into the dark of the woods.

Everything about it was like last time, only worse. Olivia had been stupid, so stupid. She'd known what they were, and she ignored it. And now she was paying for it. The fear was far beyond what it had been the last time she had run through the woods. The pain was worse, too. But this time, Olivia was too scared to stop.

Police Chief Swan was still recovering from the oppressive silence that had been dinner with Bella. Of course, there had been breaks, a question and an answer, consisting of around eight syllables total every time. However, the light of his car's headlights on the highway flying by was therapeutic. But of course, nothing nice ever lasts. It was lucky that the highway was otherwise empty, or else someone would have most definitely died. The girl came sprinting out of nowhere and onto the road, directly in front of Charlie's car. Bella shouted in the passenger's seat as he swerved to avoid hitting the crazy kid. She was probably playing a drunken game of chicken with her buddies. The Chief of Police entertained no illusions about Forks' youth. But where were the others? Surely she wasn't out here alone? Then Charlie realized that the girl was cowering on the asphalt, not running away laughing. Something was very wrong.


	8. Alice's Vision

(Alice's Vision)

_A man pulled on a pair of rubber gloves that matched his scrubs. The snap they made echoed unpleasantly against the room's tile floors and metal drawers and tables. He hated days like this, cases like this. They weren't difficult, usually, but they were depressing as hell. His partner held the door open for him. The table where they were to work was in the middle of the room. The man pulled the sheet back and took in a sharp breath. "God, I hate working on kids," his partner said, shaking her head in disgust. _

_ "Any identification on her?"_

_ "No. She wrote the name 'Olivia Harrison' on her arm in marker, but there's no one by that name in the database. She actually wrote a name and address on her other wrist, but there's no one by that name living there. We'll call the family once the case is processed to that point, I suppose.."_

"_Any ID hits off her picture?" the man asked._

_ "Nah. She didn't match up with anything. No one reported her missing, it looks like."_

"_She's probably a runaway who OD'd. They usually are." The man hated to say it, but it was probably true. _

_ "There's some track marks, but they're not new enough to be the cause of death… She's awfully skinny. Not much muscle, either," the woman said, tracing down one skeletal arm. "Looks like she wasted away." The woman picked up her scalpel and continued with the procedure while the man took notes. Blurry minutes passed until she stopped. "What the- What is this?"_

_ "What's what?" the man asked. _

_ "It's a tumor. Not drugs, not alcohol poisoning, not starvation or foul play. She had cancer." The man remained silent. "God, can you imagine?" the woman continued. "She had cancer without any kind of treatment, no chemo, no nothing. She died alone and in pain... I can't do this."_

_ "You have to, unless you quit. Any idea what kind of cancer?"_

_ "It looks like pancreatic, but we'll have to run other tests to be sure. I'm not sure I can do this any more."_

_ "Don't say that. You're helping people. You give them closure."_

_ "Yeah? Well what about _her_? Who's missing her right now?"_

Alice knew exactly who would be missing her.


	9. Insert Expletive Here

**Hey! This IS a new chapter, even though it's in the place of the old A/N! Yes, yes, feel free to flame me about how long it's been, if anyone cares. There's a bit of language in this one, FYI, and it didn't turn out as funny as the original copy, but I'll never get THAT back, so no use crying over spilled milk. **

**Please review!**

Jasper had been alone in his room all day, surrounded by every book in the house. He'd read every single one of them four times, and was working on a fifth, not to mention the year's worth of savings he'd blown in Barnes and Noble's trying to restock. Hell, he'd even gone through Carlisle's unbelievably dry medical texts. Anything to get his mind off her. He was going over eight-year-old summer reading lists when a random passage in the _Odyssey_ triggered a memory of her. With a groan, Jasper flopped onto his bed, hopeless, and decided to wallow in self-pity for a while. He plugged into his iPod and blasted a playlist she'd made for him at full volume. What was _happening _to him? Last time he checked, he'd hated her taste in music, aside from the classics they shared. Now, he had himself humming along to dubstep and mouthing the obscene lyrics of rap songs, even tapping his finger to _Bjork, _of all things. It was her. She'd happened to him like an orange-tinted hurricane on the coast of Florida. She'd happened like an earthquake on the Ring of Fire. Like a tornado on the Great Plains. And this is what she'd left in her wake. A pathetic, blubbering, self-pity-wallowing-

"_Dammit, Jasper, cut it out!_" The door banged open; Emmett had arrived. "Man, you've gotta do something. Go outside and kill some woodland creatures. Go back to your books. Anything. Better yet, go out and _find _your scared-shitless sweetheart and run away together. Remember that thing? You know, that thing that you do? You know, how you're a fucking _empath_? You're broadcasting your self-loathing, depression, and all that crap and now the entire household is about to commit _mass suicide. _Poor Edward has to actually _listen _to every piece of depressing-as-shit thought you have! Seriously, man. Sit up and _be a man. _Men don't have _feelings. _If you must, go eat some chocolate ice-cream, vomit it up, and get over it. Stop being such a _twelve-year-old girl._"

Jasper sighed and threw a pillow at his adopted brother. Emmett grinned, flicking him a thumbs-up on one hand and the bird on the other. Jasper flopped onto his stomach and switched to another playlist, his own music. Forget she had ever happened. What had he been listening to before that? He chose an Edward Sharpe song he'd always liked, its lyrics pleasant, non-threatening, normal. Until.

"_Jade?"  
"Alexander?"  
"Do you remember that day you fell _(off of that bridge) _out of my window?"  
"I sure do, you came jumping out after me."  
"Well, you fell on the concrete and nearly broke your _(skull) _ass and you were bleeding all over the place and I rushed _(away so I wouldn't kill you) _you off to the hospital. Do you remember that?"  
_ Oh, shit.

"_While you were sitting in _(your hospital bed) _the backseat _(knowing I was a liar) _smoking a cigarette you thought was going to be your last, I was falling deep, deeply _in love with you_…"  
_

"_JASPER FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD IN THIS WORLD STOP IT!_" came Edward's shout from below.

_Sorry, _Jasper thought. He went back to the Odyssey, hoping some ancient literature would alleviate this… whatever it was that he was feeling.

Four minutes later, Alice returned from hunting to find a positively beaming Jasper waiting for her. He ran up and, in a completely unprecedented display of random affection, hugged her. "I've got it!" he exclaimed. "I know what to do!"

"Jasper, dear, what-ever are you talking about?" Alice asked, disentangling his arms from around her shoulders. "And what the _hell _happened to your voice?"

"I have wax up my nose!"

"What the _hell_?"

"Wax!"

"Oh, Jasper. I was afraid it would come to this. You've finally lost it, haven't you?"

"No, really, I melted down one of Esme's scented candles and dripped wax into my nose," Jasper said, calming down.

"Like I said." Alice twirled a finger next to her head.

"No, listen. Have you ever read the Odyssey?"

"Are you kidding? You know I'm not a big reader, especially dry, decaying, ancient stuff like that."

"No? It was an assignment back in… Anyway, there's this scene where the ship's sailing past these sirens, right?"

"Sure. Whatever."

"And to block out the sound of their singing, which would kill them, the crew block up their ears with wax."

"I still don't see where you're going with this," said the psychic.

"So I figured, if it works with sound, why shouldn't it work with scents?"

Alice stared at him for a second, then said: "Jasper, you are a genius."

Jasper merely tapped his forehead in reply. "So now, I can be around humans. No issue. I've already tested it on all the food we had in the refrigerator from when Olivia was here, some of which had passed and was rather rank."

"Good. Speaking of Olivia, I was just about to tell you. We need to find her, ASAP. I had a vision." Alice grabbed Jasper's hand and started walking towards the garage. "We need to go to Seattle."

"Care to tell me what this vision was about, specifically?"

"Nope." Alice shushed any further protests and started Edward's Volvo, knowing that he was going to be stalking Bella for the night and wouldn't need it. __

Seattle was as grey and rainy as it had ever been, which unfortunately washed away scent that could have indicated a particular human's whereabouts. Wrapped in their hooded trench coats, it was easy for two vampires to melt into the crowd of rush-hour commuters, scurrying home. The hard part was detecting a single human in a city of more than half a million. Jasper cast his emotional net farther than he ever had before, even more than was necessary when rallying the long-dead troops of the southern vampire wars. There were so many people, so many writhing masses of feelings. How was he supposed to find her in all of this? Hours passed, with no result. By midnight, Jasper was losing hope. "Alice, this isn't exactly looking good."

"We'll just keep trying for a few more hours, okay? What I saw… I don't want it to come true, okay? At least, as much as I can help." Alice wiped her mouth as if trying to clear it of whatever she'd just said. Jasper was only too aware of how desperate she was feeling.

"You're not going to tell me what that was all about, are you?"

"No."

"Ever?"

"Not ever. I made a promise that I have absolutely no intention of breaking. Capiche?"

Jasper was hardly able to contain his curiosity. A promise? What kind of promise? And most of all, what on Earth was it about? "Look," he said. "Even if we do find her, she won't want to talk to me. I think I'm just going to run back home and play emotional hippopotamus for a while."

"You lost me at the hippo."

"Wallow. In metaphorical mud."

"If you pull any more literary devices out of your ass, I might have to consult Carlisle. It's starting to seem like a disorder. I-" Alice froze. After years of what could essentially be called twinship, Jasper knew what was coming. Alice yanked him into a nearby alley and backed up against a wall. "There's a warehouse. And people… a lot of people. Everything is moving very fast, and loud. There's a lot of red. An arm, pale… I think it's hers, but I don't really know for sure… Oh, Jazz, what is she doing… That's-" Her head snapped up. "She's getting into some seriously bad shit, Jasper. Like, really, _really _bad."

"Find me the warehouse."

It was all Jasper could do to keep his pace at that of a human. His mind was frantic, casting about for her familiar emotional signature, the colors that flashed behind his eyes when she was around. Alice's heels clicked dully on the wet concrete of the sidewalk as she led him through the city streets, nearly deserted at the late hour. The pair made their way into a somewhat seedy old industrial block. "There," Alice breathed.

Jasper looked ahead to the building before them, music pulsating somewhere nearby. Concentrating on it, he could feel her, but something was off. They crossed the street. Nearly the entire front of the warehouse shone in bright colors under the flickering lamps, the graffiti eerie in the semi-darkness. One newer-looking line of paint had been sloppily sprayed across the door. Jasper, nodding to his adopted sister, pushed the door open. The floor of the warehouse was empty. Jasper walked out into the center of the massive space, dust hanging in the air, long-abandoned crates looming in the corners. "This doesn't make sense," he said. "She should be right…"

"Jasper," Alice said. She pointed at the floor. Jasper followed her eyes, uncomprehending. Then he realized that she wasn't pointing _at _the floor; she was pointing at whatever was _beneath _it. The music was below them.

At the back of the room, partially hidden by a sheet-metal wall, was a flight of stairs. Three twenty-somethings lay sprawled at the landing below, too high to notice the vampires passing them. Another door led to an underground space nearly as large as the one above. Red lights flashed, alternately outlining the dancers and plunging them into darkness. The entire room was packed with people, most wearing black, all holding glow sticks. The heavy bass thrummed, everything vibrating. Jasper's eyes darted about, searching for the orange hair he ached to see. He and Alice pushed their way through the crowd, looking for a vantage point. She was here, somewhere, though in the crush Jasper couldn't tell where. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of orange. Jasper almost bowled several people over as he dashed across the space separating him from the elusive spot of color. There, just in front of him, the girl turned around, grinning maniacally, catching him staring. Her grin grew even wider at the sight of him, even as he turned around and walked away. He shouldered his way through the crowd, dismayed. _Not her, not her, not her!_ The phrase repeated itself in his head, in time with the bass. He had to consciously resist the urge to pull the plugs out of his nose, knowing that his sense of smell would locate her in a heartbeat. Of course, he told himself, it would just as quickly kill her, as well. He couldn't trust himself after what had happened. He came across a few more orange-haired dancers, but none of them were the one he was looking for.

He found Alice, hoping to regroup. She said something, but even with his vampire sense of sound, he couldn't tell what she had said. Something over his shoulder seemed to catch her eye. At the same moment, he felt one spike of emotion completely apart from the rest. Among the whirling euphoria and desire quivered a single thin line of terror. Jasper spun around. She stood there, not ten yards away, trembling. Her wide eyes locked with his.

"Olivia."

Her name fell from his lips, only to be trampled under pounding feet as she disappeared into the crowd. Jasper panicked, pushing past the joyous and protesting alike as he chased after her. He couldn't let her get away; she might hurt herself. Or was he being more selfish than he wanted to admit? He shook his head, clearing his thoughts and abandoning the effort to rationalize his actions. The door slammed in front of him. With a grunt, he yanked it back open, accidentally ripping it off of its steel hinges. He let it fall. Each stair squeaked under his weight, his passage stirring up dust.

"Olivia!"

Jasper could hear her gasping breaths, her light footsteps, her beating heart, even before he called her name. He shot past the unconscious addicts at the top of the stairwell, catching sight of her sprinting across the floor of the warehouse. He ran after her, slowing only to avoid breaking her spine when he tackled her. She shrieked, clawing at him with torn fingernails. Even after he dispelled her fear, she continued to struggle. She whispered, her voice raspy: "Let me go! Please! Just letmego I'll doanything justleavemealone pleasepleasepleasePLEASE."

"Liv, things are different now, just…" Jasper didn't know how to continue.

"Pleasepleasepleaseplease!"

"I'm so sorry… Olivia…"

Her struggles intensified, the void left by her fear filled with fury. "_Let me GO! I hate you! LET ME GO!"_

Jasper released her just as Alice made her appearance. Flailing with the sudden freedom, she threw her arms out to catch herself, only to find Alice. "_Don't touch me!"_ she shrieked, though with less vehemence than she had with Jasper. Shaking, Olivia steadied herself against Alice's shoulder, hysteric tears streaking her cheeks. Jasper didn't acknowledge the pang of jealousy at Olivia's quick acceptance of Alice's support. After all, Alice hadn't tried to eat the girl, had she?

"Shh, shh…" Alice cooed, wrapping her arms around her friend. She turned her head up to face Jasper. "She's got something nasty in her system. I'm not sure what, but it's definitely- oh, oops!" Olivia had fallen dead unconscious, head lolling back in the crook of Alice's elbow. "Oh, shit, oh, shit, Jazz, what if she OD'd? I don't know how to deal with- we need to get her home, now!"

Alice sped back to Forks, breakneck, swerving around the sparse highway traffic, headlights cutting ribbons into the dark. Jasper sat in the back seat, Olivia limp across his lap. He ran cold fingertips gently over her forehead, brushing her bangs out of her closed eyes. Her hair was blue, now, the deep sapphire of a recent dye. Worried, Jasper glanced at her twitching fingers, the sweat on her brow, the total lack of anything that was registering on the emotional plane. She was further gone that he wanted to acknowledge.

Screeching to a halt in front of the Cullen house, the Volvo sent a spray of dirt across the clean white paint. Alice streaked into the house, the front door banging violently as Jasper darted after her with Olivia in his arms. Carlisle was immediately on the scene as they put the girl to rest on the sofa. Alice gave a quick explanation. Before she was even through, the doctor had already examined his patient. "Heroin," he pronounced.

"Oh, no…" Alice intoned. Jasper could only stare.

"However, she did not overdose. She is merely in shock."

In relief, Jasper rubbed his hands over his face, massaging aches that shouldn't have existed. He crouched next to Olivia, peering intently at her unusually pale face.

Alice watched from the side of the room as the rest of the coven came to see what the fuss was about. Edward, having only just arrived home, was particularly confused. A quick peek into Alice's mind, and he immediately became more somber. _Not yet_, Alice thought to him. _That will be later._ Edward's mood visibly lightened as he realized that he would not have to deal with an emo Jasper any longer. At least, until… He shuddered to even imagine what Jasper would be like _then_. He nodded to Alice and left the room. Alice, likewise, went to leave, but not before sneaking a glance at her adopted brother and her friend. Silently, she mouthed, "Love her while you have her, Jazzy," and went upstairs.


End file.
